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Homosexual Unions

I want to address a topic that has been in focus for some time – homosexual marriage/unions. Let me be clear. I am not making homosexuality out to be a bigger sin than another sexual sin. I am not out to personally attack those that engage in it. This is my topic for this note/blog, so that is my focus. Over the past few months (the past few weeks, especially), I have encountered numerous people making claims about the Bible or questioning why Christians (that believe the whole Bible) are opposed to homosexuality (as if we’re the only group on the planet that doesn’t support these unions). I’ve seen a lot of Bible-bashing and have been called every name but a child of God in the process, so I’m combining several things I’ve said elsewhere into one post.

I want to address this in pieces, and I’ll start with this ridiculous term “homophobia.” This word has been used to cause create hostility, and, in my opinion, it pushes the demand from the LGBT community. Sodomite unions are going to be legalized. That’s a given, but the term has been changed to create an intolerance and disrespect for those who hold to the belief that marriage is between one man and one woman. Just voicing an opinion against homosexual unions is considered “hate speech.” Why? Because it doesn’t support what they want.

What is a phobia? How are phobias defined?

pho·bi·a

[foh-bee-uh] noun
a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.

ag·o·ra·pho·bi·a

[ag-er-uh-foh-bee-uh] noun Psychiatry .
an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks.

“Homophobia is a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Definitions refer variably to antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, irrational fear, and hatred.[1][2][3][4] In a 1998 address, author, activist, and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King stated that “Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood.”[5] Homophobia is observable in critical and hostile behavior such as discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientations that are non-heterosexual.” – wiki link

Phobias are “fears.” Homo- means “same.” I do not have any unrational “fear” of homosexuals nor do I have some ridiculous fear of becoming homosexual. Isn’t it amazing that when you look up words from the “phobia list” the definition will be a fear of something, but when homosexuality is addressed, all of a sudden there’s a giant canyon drawing a line that says if you don’t agree, you suddenly hate people, are a bigot, and are likely to participate in some law-breaking activity to “deny their humanity!” Just because you don’t agree with someone’s beliefs doesn’t mean you can redefine words and change it around to mean “hatred.” Many millions of people (of various faiths including atheists) do not support homosexual unions. I do not support homosexual marriages. I also no longer support divorce and remarriage. Guess what? I don’t hate remarried people. That is a ludicrous jump in logic! I don’t care for my sister’s relationship, but I don’t hate my sister nor her boyfriend. When my children want something different from me or disobey, I don’t suddenly hate them. It bothers me quite a bit to hear people purposely twist the Bible (such as those who decided to remix the Bible to create the “Queen James” version…but apparently missed Judges 19:22-25, I see), but I don’t “hate” those doing it, so how do people logically conclude disapproval of their behavior means people hate them as individuals? You can’t unless you’re trying to make me out to be something I’m not or say something I didn’t. Then others jump on the name-calling bandwagon, and it’s a nasty mess.

These unions will be legalized because our culture wants what it wants regardless of what God said just like they embraced the idea of free sexual pleasure. People wanted to be able to have sex without the ties of a covenant marriage or the responsibility of being tied down with a baby, which is one of the reasons you see so many women pushing for the right to choose if they want the “burden” of being a mother when they have so many other things they want to do. Now, it’s a push for homosexual liberty and has many people screaming “Gay is the new Black” or that their fight for marriage is equivalent to the challenges faced by Black folks and women.

For starters, it’s not. Nowhere is it ever listed in the Bible that being Black (or any other color/shade) or being a woman is a sin. There is only one race – the human race. We all came from two people (Adam & Eve) who carried the genes that had all the potential for creating differences within us.

There are three possible combinations from this couple. A Black/darker skinned person (BB), a Brown/lighter skinned person (Bw), and a white/even lighter skinned person (ww). If a BB decides to procreate with another BB, the ONLY shade they will produce is a BB because they no longer have a “w” gene available within their DNA. As people migrated and stuck to specific groups, that’s how the “races” we see now developed as they had their own practices that set them apart from other groups. That’s not sin – that’s variation. Since God created woman from man, being a woman isn’t sin either because God intended for her to be there even before sin entered the world.

Homosexual sin, effeminate men and discussing the differences between men and women are emphasized all throughout the Bible as roles are taught. Romans 1 lists a number of unrighteous practices including men with men and women with women. 1 Cor 11:14-15 “14 Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” This is another passage (in the NT) teaching against men dressing or presenting themselves as women and vice versa. The idea of a long-haired Jesus portrayed in so many movies and pictures is purely fictional. (No, this is not saying a woman who loses her hair from radiation treatment is sinful.)

Fornication, in many places, actually includes homosexuality instead of just referring to premarital sex. Fornication includes everything outside the one-flesh union of husband and wife. One of the problems is that people are involved in sexual sins Americans consider wrong are saying the same things homosexuals are saying. “They were born this way. They can’t help who they are attracted to. Who are you to tell them who they can and can’t have sex with? What they do in the privacy of their bedrooms doesn’t concern you.” Yes, this is the same argument you will hear from pedophiles and those who want to sleep with animals. How can you tell two consenting adult siblings/cousins/relatives they can’t get married and have children or that a man can’t continue sleeping with his deceased wife if they have the same argument? They’re in their own bedrooms. They’d make great parents because their home is “full of love.” The wife isn’t being hurt, and the husband just wants to enjoy his wife before she’s buried. Older men have been attracted to younger people all throughout history. Teens got married and gave birth centuries ago, so why are you restricting the age to 18 now? Currently, most people are basing their support on homosexual freedoms based on their feelings and their changing moral compasses. The Bible is the same for everyone across the board and is an objective standard. Whether or not a person likes it is not going to matter in the end.

“Jesus never said anything about homosexual marriages”

He specifically said who CAN marry, and since homosexuality is against God’s law, it automatically means homosexuals CANNOT marry. Jesus is God and is in complete agreement with the Father and the Holy Spirit. If there are laws from the OT that we need to obey, they are reiterated in the NT.

“22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 23 Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. 24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25 And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants.” – Lev 18:22-25

**I find it interesting that people want to dismiss verse 22 because it’s in the OT and specifically references homosexuality, but nobody questions verse 23, which addresses beastiality because “that’s unnatural.” – Quick fact: Sodomy is still the legal and medical terminology for man-to-man sex as well as anal sex and beastiality. Can you guess where they got the word “sodomy”? legal dictionary**

Let’s look at the NT

“26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” – Romans 1:26-32

(It would seem that those that chose to make fun of the Chick-fil-A rep that spoke about inviting God’s judgment on ourselves missed both these passages and the numerous other passages about the destruction of cities & punishments for disobeying God’s laws.)

Many people have chosen to ignore these very clear passages of the Bible, especially since newer translations reword them for their benefit. Fornication (4202 – Strong’s) includes homosexuality and is written 25+ times in the Bible! definition

PorneiaFrom πορνεύω (G4203)

1) illicit sexual intercoursea) adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc.b) sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev. 18c) sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; Mk. 10:11,122) metaph. the worship of idolsa) of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols

Fornication, although generally used for pre-marital sex, is any sex outside the one-flesh union of a husband and wife. Since a man is forbidden to lie with a man as with a woman, it is understood that marriage is automatically prohibited because sex is only permitted within marriage. How many homosexual people are fighting tooth and nail to get married with the intention of not having physical contact?

“Biblical Marriage”

“18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him . . . 22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” – Gen 2:18, 22-24

“4 And he answered and said unto them, HAVE YE NOT READ, that he which made them at the beginningmade them male and female, 5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Matt 19:4-6

“6 But from the beginning of the creationGod made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. 9 What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” – Mark 10:6-9

Jesus had NO PROBLEM saying things that were uncomfortable to people nor did He get confused about what He meant. He could have skipped the part about God making them MALE AND FEMALE while addressing marriage since it was already understood that men and women married. He specified the married couple is comprised of one man and one woman so that there is absolutely no confusion. Anyone that chooses to ignore these passages does so with the full understanding that Jesus is crystal clear about men marrying women – not other men. He is restating the divine institution of marriage as ordered by God at the beginning of creation.

“What’s the big deal?”

People are making “a big deal” about marriage because God makes a big deal of marriage since it was a divine institution before the state ever got involved. Jesus references Creation in two specific passages when talking about marriage. He clearly states God (since He is God and was there) created them male and female for marriage (Matt 19:5-6, Mark 10:6-8). God chose and fashioned a woman to be man’s helpmeet (Gen 2). Marriage is the only human relationship that reflects the relationship between Christ and His Church (Eph 5:22-33). One of the physical signs used to symbolize the covenant relationship was supposed to be shown on the honeymoon night. A husband and wife had already said their vows and then consummate the marriage. When the husband enters the wife, the hymen is broken, blood is shed, and the family has visual proof that they are in covenant with one another. This was a visual sign of a spiritual concept that would come later when Christ’s atonement gave us the opportunity to be saved and enter the new covenant. Christ died for His bride (the Church) who enters into covenant with Him through the shed blood of the BrideGroom/Husband/Christ. A woman with a woman cannot unite in this fashion, and men don’t have hymens to break. Hymens serve no biological use except to be broken.

God sealed His covenants in blood. God killed an animal and used the skin to provide clothing for Adam & Eve. The animal’s blood covered their sin, and God promised a Redeemer (Gen 3:15, 21). Noah offered a sacrifice after the flood, and God used the rainbow to symbolize that He would never again destroy creation through floods (Gen 8:20-9:17). Abraham was asleep when God walked through the blood of an animal to show His covenant to make him a father of many nations (Gen 15:1-21). Christ’s blood was shed once for all who will enter into eternal life with Him (Gen 1 – Rev 22). It doesn’t matter was the state calls homosexual relationships. It doesn’t matter how strongly people feel about it. It doesn’t matter if they think it’s unfair. If anyone wants to change the rules, all he has to do is become God and overturn His system. Until then, what the Creator says goes. The fact is God doesn’t recognize any relationship (homosexual, heterosexual, whatever) outside the one-flesh, covenant union of husband and wife, and the church is required to warn people. It’s not a condemnation of someone’s soul because they’re still alive to repent. We are to call sin “sin,” and that’s a judgment just as much as telling someone they can’t judge. “He who is spiritual judgeth all things” (1 Cor 2:13-15).

Regardless of how strongly you feel about it or how offended you are to the idea, God states it is a sin. Since He says it’s a sin, it also means it can be controlled. If you can’t control your urges and impulses and who you choose to pursue, that’s a problem because I’ve never met anyone that couldn’t stop liking/loving someone (you’d be surprised how fast interests suddenly change when the partner comes up with an STD). I’ve met people that know a person is wrong for them and still choose to chase the person. Even if you choose to believe you were “born” that way, you can be born again through Christ. We put on the mind of Christ and are conformed to His image. By the help of the Holy Spirit we overcome sin – not through our will power. There are plenty of people that participated in homosexual lifestyles that no longer do, but they don’t get the publicity that those that “out” do (ex. Sheryl Swoopes). With Christ, all things are possible.

Jesus loves people, but He also demands righteousness and holiness. Jesus was the most intolerant Man that ever walked the face of the earth because He had no problem addressing people’s sins directly, to their faces, and told them they needed to repent and believe what He said or die in their sins and go to hell. There’s no “in between.”